In previous years, UAH dorms allowed its students to check in multiple visitors for up to 72 hours, regardless of their status as living on or off campus. This year however, the HRL has decided that we as students are only allowed visitors after 8am, and they have to be checked out by midnight. In addition, the only people we are allowed to check in are those who live on campus.

They say that these restrictions are supposed to restrict the spread of COVID-19, but if you observe the facts of the situation, it is evident that this is not the case. It is not as though we will simply cease to hang out with someone just because they cannot come in our dorms, as we will just hang out with them elsewhere, eliminating the argument that UAH is “saving” us from catching COVID. We should not have to resort to sneaking people in in order to hang out with them in our own rooms. 

All we want is the ability to be able to check in to our own rooms, that we pay for, who we want, when we want. This is not an unreasonable request, as this was the way it has been in previous years. The majority of us are fully grown, legal adults, and yet UAH housing is acting as though they are our parents, when in reality all they are is our landlord. Additionally, seeing as there are already Desk Assistants at all the halls 24/7, it would require no additional funds to change the policy. There is simply no good reason that we should not be allowed the right to bring our own friends to our own rooms, and seeing as it has caused a great deal of stress to both the students as well as the housing staff, we would like to see the regulations changed back to their former state.